GI Bill Historical Timeline

On June 22, 1944, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed into effect the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, more commonly known as the GI Bill of Rights.  Since its birth, the GI Bill has undergone numerous changes and additions to keep up with the times.

• 1944: President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed Servicemen’s Readjustment Act.
• 1944-1952:  VA backed nearly 2.4 million home loans for World War II veterans.
• 1947:  Veterans accounted for 49 percent of college admissions in the United States.
• 1952: On July 16, President Harry S. Truman approved the Veterans Readjustment Act so that those who had served in the Korean War could receive benefits.
• 1956: On July 25, the original GI Bill ended. By this time 7.8 million of the 16 million World War II veterans had participated in an education or training program.
• 1966: On March 3, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Veterans Readjustment Benefits Act, which offered benefits to post-Korean War and Vietnam-era veterans.
• 1984:  GI Bill renamed “Montgomery GI Bill,” after former Mississippi Congressman Gillespie V. Montgomery who revamped it for the newest generation of combat veterans.
• 1994: While commemorating the 50th anniversary of the GI Bill, President Bill Clinton claimed, "Just as D-Day was the greatest military action in our history, so the GI Bill arguably was the greatest investment in our people in American history."
• 2008:  The GI Bill was updated to give servicemen and women who were active on or after September 11, 2001, enhanced educational benefits that cover more expenses.  The bill is called Post-9/11 GI Bill.
• 2009: On May 1, veterans began filing the Post-9/11 GI Bill.